Ontario’s drinking water is among best in the world
April 27, 2015
By CCE
A report from the Chief Drinking Water Inspector in Ontario has found that 72% of all municipal residential drinking water systems fully met all the regulated requirements, including water sampling, testing and monitoring. This was a 4% increase since 2012-13.
Also, 99.83% of drinking water tests from municipal residential drinking water systems met the province’s standards. Municipal residential drinking water systems serve more than 80% of Ontario’s population.
Among drinking water systems serving facilities such as daycares, schools or health care centres, a full 99.49% met the standards. The standards establish the maximum allowable concentration of chemicals and biological content that can be present in drinking water.
The Ontario government’s press release said, “The 2013-14 Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s Annual Report confirms that Ontario’s drinking water is among the best protected in the world.”
The Chief Drinking Water Inspector’s report is published annually and is in its 10th anniversary edition. It covers source water protection, small drinking water systems and laboratory testing.
It is now 15 years since O157:H7 E. coli bacteria contaminated the water supply of Walkerton, a community near Owen Sound, and caused seven deaths and thousands to fall ill. The fallout from that disaster in 2000 prompted a massive overhaul of the province’s water supply systems.
Click here to read the 2013-14 annual report.
